Will Rohit play against KKR? Jayawardene shares update on Hitman’s availability

Mumbai Indians (MI) lost the first game of the UAE leg to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 20 runs. Rohit Sharma, who is with the franchise, was kept out of the match as a precautionary measure.

Veteran all-rounder Kieron Pollard captained the team in the absence of Hitman. MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene later revealed that Rohit is available for the next match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

According to an agency report, Rohit was rested to give him more time to recover from a knee niggle he suffered during India’s tour of England. “Rohit was batting and doing his running, after coming back from the UK, we probably felt he needed extra few days so he should be fine to play the next game. Hardik was training, had a niggle, so precaution and giving him extra days, not nothing serious,” Jayawardene said during a virtual post-match conference.

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 88 off 58 balls took CSK to 156-6 in the 20 over match. Chasing 157 runs to win, Mumbai Indians only managed to score 136-8. Saurabh Tiwary’s 50-run knock went in vain as other batsmen failed to stitch partnerships with him.